Oregon continued its strong start to the season, putting together an all-around effort for much of the game in a 77-63 win over UT San Antonio on Sunday at Matthew Knight Arena.
Head coach Kelly Graves played all available players for the third consecutive game.
“Tonight was a step in the right direction,” said Graves. “We’re getting better every game.”
Twelve players contributed in the scoring department, with Sabrina Ionescu leading the way. The freshman continued her strong start to the season, pacing the Ducks with 26 points, including a 5-of-7 effort from 3-point range.
“I definitely got in the gym, shot a lot,” said Ionescu. “Today in warmups I was not missing, so I just shot the ball.”
Freshman Ruthy Hebard was inserted into the starting lineup after her 23-point performance against CSU Bakersfield on Thursday. She continued her hot streak, giving the Ducks a nice spark with five points in the opening quarter, which saw Oregon jump out to a quick 19-9 lead.
The backcourt of Ionescu and Lexi Brando led the way in the second quarter, combining for 16 points to give the Ducks a 40-21 lead entering the half. The Ducks’ stingy defense was the story of the first half, making it near impossible for UTSA to find any sort of momentum.
“I thought defensively in the first half we were terrific,” said Graves. “We kept them off balance.”
However, the Ducks were unable to close in the way they wanted. Oregon had led by as many as 25 points at the end of three quarters, before seeing their lead cut down to 12 points in the game’s final frame.
“Little disappointed with how the game ended,” said Graves. “We could have separated a lot more.”
The night though belonged to Ionescu, who put together her best game of the season so far. Battling a bit of a sickness this last week, Ionescu appeared healthy and on top of her game on Sunday. In addition to her 26 points, Ionescu continued to show her value on the defensive side, grabbing a game-high eight rebounds.
Through the first three games of the season, Ionescu has continued to prove her all-around style of play. She leads the Ducks in points and rebounds, and is No. 2 in assists.
“That’s just the will to want the ball,” said Ionescu. “I got healthy and that definitely helped.”
With a team featuring seven freshmen, Oregon will face its toughest test of the season on Tuesday when the team hosts Michigan State. The Spartans have long been a top program, reaching the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season.
“Tuesday night it gets real,” said Graves. “It gets real in a hurry.”
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